“I found out the true meaning of nationhood when I was deported from Ethiopia. Had I not had a free country, I wouldn’t probably be able to live as peacefully as I am living now. T was then that I realized how priceless a gift our martyred brothers and sisters gave us; so compared to their sacrifice my contribution was only for my satisfaction…” said a citizen on conditions of anonymity. He had donated 20,000 Nakfa each to ten martyrs’ families.

Eritreans celebrate Independence Day in May and less than a month later they remember the heroes who fell to bring and preserve that Independence.

Eritrea’s fallen heroes, who never doubted that their vision would eventually come true, passed on entrusting us with a pledge to build and maintain a prosperous nation. So when we celebrate Martyrs’ Day, it’s not only to show our love and gratitude but also to renew our promises to put our pledges into action. But what are our pledges? And how committed are we in implementing them?

Preserving the national sovereignty, building a peaceful and just nation, preserving the norms and values nurtured during the liberation struggle, shouldering the responsibility of looking after the martyr’s families and children …, these are some of the major tasks delegated to us the latter being the core theme of this article.

When Eritrean martyrs courageously sacrificed their lives for the greater good of the Eritrean people, they strongly believed that their people would assume responsibility of looking after the families they left behind. And what is being done toward that end?

Eritrea’s struggle for independence demanded more than 65,000 lives while the later conflict with the TPLF claimed an additional 19,000 lives, thus putting the figure to more than 84,000 martyrs.

To address the issue the government issued proclamation 48/1994 entitling every martyr’s family to 10,000 Nakfa. And when additional sacrifices occurred during the border conflict, the government issued yet another proclamation, 137/2003, allocating a monthly payment to the family of every martyr of the struggle or the later conflict.

The body that assumed responsibility in executing this program is the Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare (MLHW), who is working in collaboration with the National Insurance Corporation of Eritrea Share Company.

Mr. Mihreteab Fessehaie, Head of Social Welfare at MLWH, says that the process of paying out is improving from time to time.

“The government has allocated a budget of 350 million Nakfa with all beneficiaries receiving their payments regularly,” he said.

He further pointed out that from 2004 up to April 2008, the government paid out more than 1.3 billion Nakfa to martyrs’ families.

According to the information from MLHW’s Department of Social Welfare, there are 16 permanent payment sites around the country. The information further stated that installments are personally delivered to those who can’t travel to the permanent stations.

Apart from efforts being exerted by the government to help the martyrs’ families, citizens in and outside the country are also contributing their part towards the cause. Reports from MLHW indicate, that the Ministry sent a list of 10,420 very needy martyrs’ families to Eritreans residing in 22 countries around the world; with 4,569 families having so far received support and a total of over 75 million Nakfa deposited in the Ministry’s account.

“There are citizens who have each pledged support to more than ten families while others provide additional material and financial assistance in addition to their allocated monetary contributions,” said Mr. Mihreteab.

“Yet better than all these efforts is the caring as well as the moral and physical support being lent to martyrs’ families by citizens residing inside the country,” he noted and further added that residents in the rural areas have been carrying out collective campaigns to help the families in agricultural and other related household activities. He brought up the Tessenei sub zone as an example that should be followed.

As part of their efforts to assist the martyrs’ families in the sub zone, at the beginning of the school year the residents of this sub zone make sure that all martyrs’ children are enrolled in school, and provide them with assistance throughout the year. They also make social calls on religious holidays.

In line with its “self-reliance” policy, the Eritrean government has been looking for ways that these families can become actually independent. One way has been ensuring that these families own shares in enterprises owned by the government and the Front. As a result, the National Insurance Corporation of Eritrea, Red Sea Trading Corporation and Asmara Brewery have each 30% of their shares reserved for the martyrs’ families, with the annual dividends deposited to the Martyrs’ Trust Fund. MLHW reports indicate that so far over 26 million Nakfa has been collected in from dividends.

Between 2003 and May 2007, the Ministry also collected 51 million Nakfa from its martyrs’ orphans’ fund. Established with long-term plans, the plan is to enable orphans help themselves by providing them with assistance in material terms. So far about 62,000 orphans, including several martyrs’ children, have been demobilized at a cost of 270 million Nakfa.

“I have always been self dependent, but now aging has forced me to seek assistance. Not having been accustomed to help from others, I sometimes bitterly complained but later regret it because I have the monthly installments of 500 Nakfa,” says Mrs. Zaid Weldehawaryat , a mother of one and only child who heroically passed away in 1983.

The expenses that the government has been incurring in supporting the martyrs’ families doesn’t really comply with the country’s economic capacity, but it is a responsibility that the government must shoulder because of the trust entrusted to us by our fallen heroes. Nor is the contribution by the people to be underestimated.
Along with the heavy expenditures of nation building, we have proved that we are actually true trustees of our martyrs.

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